Alan Stewart. PHOTO/FILE
KAREN COLTMAN
[email protected]
When the ink dries on the sale of 3.2 hectares of Hansells Ltd land next to State Highway 2 later this month, the $29 million Lansdowne Park Lifestyle Village 50 villa expansion will begin.
The Environment Court ruled on January 22 that the memorandum of understanding over road safety between New Zealand Transport Agency and Lansdowne Park owners, Arvida, was acceptable and granted resource consent.
NZTA appealed the November 2019 resource consent approval on the grounds that the right turn into the village across State Highway 2 traffic was particularly unsafe for elderly drivers.
The agency wanted a roundabout installed.
What has been negotiated between the parties is similar to what Arvida proposed but includes further road widening, removal of trees, additional landscaping, and a neighbour’s gate moved to improve visibility at the intersection.
NZTA requires Arvida to complete the intersection upgrade before construction of the dwellings begins.
Arvida has 2359 retirement units and 1682 aged care beds spread across 32 villages in New Zealand.
The company said when completed, the village would generate additional employment in Masterton, bringing at least $400,000 into the community each year.
It has a waiting list of 30 for the new villas.
The current driveway into Hansells would be closed during the construction of the new road entrance into the village and the factory site.
Hansells Masterton executive chairman Alan Stewart said he would make plans for his trucks to access the factory elsewhere during construction of the access road.
He was pleased with the pending land sale and was excited to use the sale proceeds to build Hansells’ operations.
“It’s great to have the land that was basically just for grazing being used for housing,” Stewart said.
“The driveway into the village and our factory will be a major upgrade to what is there now.
“The land sale will go through in a few weeks and I will then finalise a deal to buy another business to expand our Masterton operations.”
Stewart said the opportunity to buy the business arose before Christmas.
“Getting this new business means I can keep what we have going and probably employ a couple more people,” Stewart said.
“I am looking into expanding our milk powder and milk powder products packaging.”
The Lansdowne expansion area off SH2 has a road traffic speed limit of 100kmh.
The Masterton District Council wrote to NZTA in September last year requesting its review of the speeds in and out of Masterton be brought forward from its scheduled review in two years’ time.
For safety reasons, councillors unanimously voted that the letter specifically request a new 70kmh zone before the 100kmh zone starts north of Masterton on SH2.
“It’s great to have the land that was basically just for grazing being used for housing,” Stewart said.
So, more productive land turned over to housing the ever-increasing population!
Why is that great?